Test of Mettle
by King Eagle
Summary: AU. After Yugi, pioneering mage turned planeswalker, introduced Magic to Earth, the world transformed in a matter of years, becoming a society of Magic, even beginning to expand to other planes. As Judai began his journey, sinister forces took notice.


A/N: I do not own **Yu-Gi-Oh! GX** or **Magic: the Gathering**. Look in my profile for a card database, if you want to see what the cards look like. Just type the name in.

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Chapter 1: Elemental Appeal

"Oh my! Gelgo just cast WARP WORLD!" A red orb expanded in midair, slowly consuming the Kaiba Dome. The screams of terror immediately ceased, for everyone watching was suddenly scattered throughout Kaiba Land. The M.C somehow managed to escape the spell, and continued to commentate. "Now all their permanents are put away, and apparently the audience too! Now, for each card, they draw from their decks, playing as many lands, creatures and such as they can, and the rest are put back!"

Judai was completely absorbed in the action, his unblinking eyes strained by the television. "I wish I could play Warp World," he sighed, "but my duels never last."

"Gelgo's famous combo is about to happen, where he inflicts massive damage, summoning numerous Bogardan Hellkites to the field!" The camera zoomed in on the duelist's smug mug. "I'm sure glad my announcer's box is protected by magic; poor audience! But that's how they like it: explosive!"

Judai wiped his eyes, and got up off his stomach, then hobbled on his knees over to his bed, where his cards were strewn across. He first picked his favorite cards: "Nova Chaser", "Flamekin Wingman", "Silvos", "Ashling". He realized he really only used red most of the time. "Maybe I should use others…" he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Nah, I need to stick to my guns! You can't be good at everything." He collected his blue, black, and white cards, and put them away. He added a few green cards to the pile, for flexibility. Lastly, he adjusted his lands; most of them were Mountains, since red was his main color, and then he added a few Forests for green. "After all, I'm sure the matches will fly by! Just like the Pro Leagues. I need to match that!" Judai straightened the cards out, and slipped them into his deck box. He polished his Duel Disk for a few moments, then carefully positioned it on his desk, along with his deck. Afterwards, he laid in bed, fully clothed, in order to leave as quickly as possible in the morning for the Duel Academia entrance exams.

"Duel Academia…" he mumbled, his smile growing at the thought. "I bet everyone there loves dueling as much as I do, and they'll be as strong as I am, or stronger! But I know I can be the best." He tossed to the right. "Yugi never gave up when victory seemed impossible, and, every time, he exceeded, so much that he's the greatest mage ever. That's what it takes!"

It was a smooth bus ride; ever since Domino incorporated magic into everyday life, the city was very well kept and clean. The roads were always like new, and the air was crisp and breathable, all thanks to the maintenance sentinels on nearly every street corner. Judai fell in and out of sleep on the ride, having been kept awake all night by his excitement. Lustrous buildings rolled by and by, until there were none, as the road sloped gently uphill, Kaiba Land at the top. Suddenly he was revitalized, weaseling his way to the front seat past other angry examinees. He rhythmically tapped his fingers as they peaked the hill, but the bus suddenly lurched to a halt behind a traffic jam.

"You _ninnyhammer_! Get a MOVE ON!"

"Yeah, turd! Some people have to use the restroom!"

Judai got on the tips of his toes to better see the situation: what seemed to be a horse-drawn carriage was missing a wheel, and three knights were pacing around the side. Eventually a group of disgruntled barbarian fellows, wearing furs and armor, busted out of a car right behind the carriage, and cornered the knights. After threatening and offensive banter Judai didn't understand, the barbarians grabbed the corner of the carriage and hoisted it, while the tallest knight kneeled down, affixed a new wheel, and bolted it on. The barbarians filed back into their car silently, while the knights reassembled their horses and carried on.

The bus continued on its route, eventually stopping at the entrance of the theme park. Judai hopped off first, and jogged into the expansive grounds. As he ran, he heard the sentinels engines whirring, picking up the trash from the Warp World fiasco the night before. On his way, he noticed a box half full of donuts on the ground, and shadily swept them up. He ran by numerous attractions and empty concession stands, as well as other examinees, ones wearing blue robes, white capes, black suits, red scarves, green cloths, armor, helmets, even weapons, though they appeared more showy than dangerous with their comical sizes and intricate designs. From the sound of the vibration of its wheels, Judai soon noticed a sentinel had been tailing him, trying to take the box.

"Uhh… I.. left it here last night, and want it back so… yeah!" The sentinel stopped, and watched Judai, who ran off giving an embarrassed smile and a wave. He continued by the Kaiba Dome, which was the shape of a classic Shivan Dragon head, but colored blue instead of green. Behind it, there was a tall, expansive yellow building, with no windows, labeled "Arena" in big, red letters. A decorated crowd loitered around it, and as Judai cut through it and up a staircase to the glass doors, he stopped. There, he took in one last, deep breath, and entered. The inside crowd had a similar appearance to the outside, but most of the examinees were in large cliques, each with their own distinct appearance. He passed by a crowd of barbarians, a huddled gang, a chattering ring of intellectuals in blue, and then stopped near a lone knight, in white armor and cape, wearing an empty sword sheathe, who was distinctively short. His blue hair, glasses, and chest plate had an intense shine, indicating they were polished too frequently. Judai approached the proud, underwhelming figure.

"Hey!" Judai grinned. The figure was unmoving. He observed him for a moment, intrigued by his smallness. "You weren't the kind of duelist I was expecting, but that doesn't matter!" The smaller boy grimaced.

"Do you question my skills?" he demanded.

"No, I just meant you're smaller than I thought an Academia duelist would be." The knight was offended.

"Listen, knave, I may be small, but the brotherhood my knights share makes me larger than any foe!" The nobleman seemed even smaller.

"Well, anyways, my name is Judai Yuki! You?"

"Sir Cyrus is what the Knights call me, but you peasant shall address me as Sho; my noble name is much too noble for you."

"'Kay, Sho." Judai fumbled his box somewhat, to an unimpressed Sho.

"You don't seem very smart."

"Oh, I am. C'mon, ask me a trivia question."

"Oh really? I will test your knowledge then." Sho paused. "Who was the first place knight in the Eleventh Annual Headmaster's Tournament, presided by Ms. Midori Hibiki?" Before he could answer, Sho digressed. "Queen Hibiki… what a most noble and honorable and stunning queen. Certainly the greatest leader of the Academia."

"Hibiki? Does she have a brother?" Judai asked, forgetting the previous question.

"Yes, peasant, the famed Professional Duelist Koyo Hibiki."

"Ooh! I know him."

"Hmph! You don't say." Sho scoffed with disinterest.

"Yeah! I used to play baseball as a kid, but I broke my leg once, and had be in the hospital for a day or two. I walked past this room, and a guy with nasty burns was in there. I went in to say "Hi", then he said he was a duelist! He showed me his cards, gave me some, then showed me some magic. Even though I was released from there, I visited him every day for two weeks. He had one of his buddies make me this card!" Judai slipped "Flamekin Wingman" out of his box and entreated Sho with his prized card.

"I never heard of this card; and you're probably lying. People always make things up to get ahead." He sluggishly read the card over, and noticed who it was credited to. "Sartyr! Claiming he made this? You cad! Using a professor's name like that?"

"He is?" Judai rubbed his chin. Sho puffed up at his obvious guilt.

"You've crossed the line! Slander? Really? This can't go unpunished!" Sho whipped around and cupped his hands around his mouth. "KNIGHTS!" Judai heard stampeding as three similarly dressed knights stormed to Sho's side, all much larger than he.

"Sir Cyrus!" they barked in unison.

"See to it his that his slanderous actions are punished." Sho commanded.

"Hold on there!" Judai put his hands up weakly, chuckling at their reactions. "Don't I get a trial of some kind? I know! A duel." Sho's mouth twitched. "Yeah! If the card works, then I'm innocent."

"Fine then. Normally, I'd save my energy for the Academia, but wearing you down with my power is befitting to your crime." Judai tensed up eagerly, clenching his fist.

"Let's do this!"

The Practice Arena was rather small, with about twelve rows of bleachers on each side, while the floor was sectioned off into four small rings. Judai and Sho entered one ring, while the troop of knights sat in the first row, closer to Sho, away from the prefab wall. A boy with slicked-back hair and a red-blue robe was seated closer to Judai, lost in meditation.

"We'll play standard rules. Play all lands in your opening hand of seven, we start with fifteen life, and we also can't inflict more than five damage so we don't ruin anything," Sho explained. "I'll let you go first, peasant." Sho took seven cards from his Duel Disk, as did Judai.

"Do your best, okay? I want to have a fun duel!" Judai shouted over. Sho tried to keep a straight face. On the other side of the arena, a group of students in black collared shirts and slacks were seated around one person, who had spiky hair, a designer suit, and a leather trench coat that made him appear imposing.

"Hey boss, that pipsqueak Sho is fightin' someone," one grunt pointed out.

"Ahh… let's see how he does, boys," their leader responded.

"Right, Manjoume sir."

The boy in the robes looked up at the scene, mildly intrigued by Sho's actions.

"_I wonder what he's planning now, dueling a stranger_." he pondered to himself.

"DUEL!" the two yelled.

"I'll start." Judai said. Their Duel Disks extended outward, and the life meter on the outer frame displaying "15" in yellow lit up, while a blue sheet formed in the disk's rhombic frame. "I have three Mountains," he said, laying them out across the sheet, which absorbed the cards, while another counter next to the life total displayed "3" in red. "Now I can tap into the Mountains for mana to cast a spell. I'll use one red mana to cast the creature Flamekin Quick blade (R)!" he shouted, laying the card onto the sheet. A scarlet-charcoal colored humanoid figure, with flames burning up from its torso, around its face, through its joints, and wielding a sword, formed out of a mass of red energy before Judai. "For this creature, I have to reveal another Elemental in my hand or pay three mana, so I reveal Flamekin Wingman!" Judai held it out.

"I know you're trying to aggravate me, peasant, and I won't fall for it!" Sho scolded.

"Well, I just wanted you to know I was actually gonna play it this duel. Anyways, I tap two more Mountains to play Smokebraider (1R)." A feminine elemental in a shamanic robe formed out of the mana, with intense flames burning out of its hands. "Okay, your move Sho! Give me your best shot." Sho swiped a card off his deck with disgust.

"Now you think I'd go easy on you! I laugh; letting me go second allows me to draw a card first, and exposes your tactics, knave. You're probably red, with that recklessness." Judai scratched his head. "I have an Island, two Plains, and a Forest."

"Three colors? I don't see that strategy too often. You must know your stuff to play like that."

"Don't patronize me, knave." Sho paused for a moment, scanning his hand with uncertainty. "Uh… I know! I tap all my lands to play Ranger of Eos (3W)!" Blue, green, then white orbs of mana meshed together, creating a heavily armored knight, with brown hair and a long sword on his belt, who saluted Sho as he stood firm at his side. "This knight can summon forth two weaker creatures, whose mana cost is one or less, from my deck, and I choose two proud Akrasan Squires (W)!" The ranger grabbed a horn off his belt and signaled blazingly with it, startling Judai and everyone else in the room. Two glowing cards shot out of Sho's deck, and formed into a pair of lightly armored soldiers, carrying a variety of supplies, such as lances. "My move is done. See my power? I muster three soldiers in one move, all obviously superior to yours."

"We'll see about that," Judai said playfully, but Sho heard it as a challenge.

"Phooey! I end my turn."

"Draw!" Judai said, as the red counter went from "0" to "3". "I tap two Mountains, then use Smokebraider's ability; by tapping it, it provides two mana of any color that can only be used to summon Elementals. Now I'll summon Flamekin Wingman (2RR)!"

"You must have guts, peasant, trying to play a fake card!" Sho protested. The mana shaped itself into a humanoid figure, turning dark red and spouting out of its back; its legs and left arm formed, then a craggy, searing right arm, resembling the mouth of a volcano broke out. The creature impacted the ground with its feet, cracking it, and took an overwhelming stance, extending its right arm. Sho was flabbergasted that it actually worked, while the robed boy took more notice to the duel.

"How!"

"Isn't he the coolest! Or should I say he's flaming!" Judai boasted, chuckling. The knights watched Judai embarrassedly as he admired his own creature, ignoring Sho's swelling rage.

On the other side of the room, Manjoume twiddled his fingers, musing aloud.

"A new card, eh? This guy must have a pretty penny, getting a custom card like that. Maybe I should get one some day…"

"You should boss!"

"Except they're not allowed in Professional matches, and besides, I don't need to rely on a weak strategy like surprise to win. You know what, I like this kid. He must have quite an ego to flash that around. Maybe we'll see him when he's done." The gang nodded in agreement.

"Alright! Attack Quickblade!" The warrior began to run at Sho.

"I won't block him!" Sho said, panicked. The warrior stopped right in front of Sho, and paused for a second. The boy held his arms up, as its blade came down on his Disk, knocking him back. "Well, he only has two power!" (Life: 13)

"Heh, he didn't know who to hit for a sec, 'cause all your creatures are so much bigger than you!" Judai giggled. Sho turned red, ignoring Manjoume and his gang's laughter in the background. "Uh, sorry about that. I didn't think you were so sensitive about your height…" Judai muttered, looking ashamed.

"SHUT UP! I'm… not embarrassed. I'm ANGRY!" Sho shouted petulantly. "Draw! I have another Plains! Now I attack with a Squire!" The left squire handed his lance to the right one. "The squires have the Exalted ability, which, if only one of my creatures attack, they give support to it. Since both have it, my Squire's power and toughness is now three!" The right squire came at Judai with the lances, shouting.

"I'll block him with my Wingman, who has first strike, which means he can make the first blow in combat! And his power is four!" Wingman intercepted the soldier by catching the lances in his hands, then hitting him with a concussive blast of fire from his mouth, destroying him. "Now, his ability gives you damage equal to your soldier's power!" The excess flames roared at Sho, exploding right in front of him, knocking him back (Life: 10). Sho turned even redder. He looked down, and noticed a card in his hand.

"WAIT! I could have overcome you! You distracted me with your insults!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm not very good at explaining myself. You see…"

"Shut up, you, you…turkey!" He shrieked, flailing his arms. "I tap three Plains and an Island to play Angelic Benediction (3W)!" The enchantment took the form of a shining cloud, hovering above Sho.

"Why didn't you play that earlier? It has Exalted, and could have tapped my Wingman, leaving me defenseless."

"Didn't you hear me? You distracted me so I couldn't!"

"Oh, well…" Judai trailed off, as he drew his card, then played a Mountain. "I'm sorry, okay?" he whined lightheartedly. "Here's a bit of wisdom from ol' Judai: keep your eye on the ball!" He pretended to swing a bat. "I learned that from Koyo Hibiki; I got mad at him once, and missed a play I could have won with. See? You'll be a great duelist if you remember that." Sho stared, mouth agape.

"Now you- you- condescend _me?_ Sir Cyrus, of the Third Castle at Duel Academia?"

"Nah, I'm just talking to Sho; anyways, Koyo said being relaxed is the first rule of Pro Dueling. And you can only do that when you have fun! I tap three Mountains to cast Fatal Frenzy (2R)!" Judai tossed the card in the air, where it became a dart of energy, which plummeted into Wingman's back. Then, his muscles grew twice their size while the Elemental gave a monstrous roar, bellowing flames almost to the ceiling. "This spell gives a creature a burning rage, doubling their power (8) and giving them trample, which give you his extra damage when blocked." Sho looked around in fear.

"B-but if I block, I'll still take full damage!"

"That's why I love this combo! Attack, Quickblade and Wingman!" The Wingman's arm glowed red with heat, then erupted with fire. "Go easy with that!" Judai yelled to him. The flame exploded just in front of Sho, searing the walls on either side of the ring, as well as the knights watching. Sho fell backwards rather hard, and slid a few feet (Life: 2).

"Hold on! I said no damage above five!" Sho screamed.

"Woops…" Judai looked worried.

"You! You're a loose cannon! I won't continue this anymore!" Sho proclaimed as he stumbled to his feet. "Good thing I have armor…" he mumbled as he dusted himself off. The knights shook off the ashes, and hurried down to the arena. "Knights! Sieze him!" The creatures and enchantments had since vanished.

"Hold on there! What about the duel?" Judai cried. The knights filed in, then hurried into a circle around Judai. Before they could apprehend him, an equally sized group of thugs barged in, body checking the knights around Judai, who started protesting loudly, and then they began grappling with each other. During the struggle, Manjoume strutted in, his coattails trailing softly behind him.

"Keep it down boys!" He yelled over the commotion. His thugs obediently restrained the knights in their arms. Sho was awestruck.

"You're in cahoots with Manjoume, the lowest life form in Duel Academia?" Sho asked weakly.

"Who?" said Judai.

Manjoume brushed his thugs aside.

"Me, of course. Jun Manjoume, number one from the Pre-Duel Academia. I excelled in tactics, and, lucky for you, magic. Let me handle these walls." Manjoume dug in his coat for something. The robed boy above seemed startled.

"Hold it, you!" He yelled. Without batting an eye, Manjoume pulled out "Welding Jar".

"Butt out, Misawa. See, Judai, this card can regenerate other objects, or artifacts." The card glowed, and a small sphere appeared in his hand from the light. He set it on the ground where it rolled over to the walls, flipped its lid, and began scraping and welding. "It'll take a little while, but since the exams are almost up, I think it can do its job unseen. There, problem solved, Misawa." Misawa frowned.

"You know magic is prohibited in public, right?" he asked rather tensely.

"Then Raizou did it." Manjoume stated coolly. One grunt with blue hair looked up with a grin.

"Yeah boss!" Judai glanced around, supremely confused. Misawa leaned closer over the rail.

"You… Judai! Don't buy his game. He just wants you as a lackey, to cheat, steal, harass, and lie, like that one just did now!"

"I think that guy up there doesn't like you very much," Judai said, concerned. "But you seem alright." Manjoume's lips began twisting into a smirk. "However," interrupted Judai, "I'll wing it myself for a while, so… see ya!" With a wave, Judai raced out the door.

"Alright, relax boys. We'll just see if he's got the stuff after he has a real duel." His grunts let go of the knights, and laughed at Sho, who was a shade of red never before seen.

"Knights! Scramble!" he commanded. The knights helped Sho up and they too ran out.

"Let's split." Manjoume shrugged. "I hope no one is unfortunate enough to have taken our spot."

Judai stopped in the middle of the main lobby, panting heavily.

"What did I do wrong? I felt like a body at the crime scene, everyone hovering around and pointing fingers like that." Kneeling down, he didn't notice Misawa approach.

"Hey!" he greeted.

"Oh, hi. Gimme a minute…" Judai panted a little longer, then wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"I'm Daichi Misawa." The two shook hands. "It's unfortunate, but Sho and Manjoume are representative of the majority at Duel Academia. They despise anyone from a dorm color other than theirs. Sho is white, the color of law and order, while Manjoume is black, the color of power and deception."

"White and black… so the Academia's dorms are based around the Five Colors?" Judai asked, intrigued.

"Yes. I'm blue, which I'm sure you know is the color of knowledge and innovation. You see, dorms are picked in order to further specialize the training you get; a green would train his body, while a blue, his mind. But this system appears to have gone haywire ever since last year, though I suspect it's been developing for awhile. People like Manjoume are leaders, and the knights followers. It's infuriating!" Misawa clenched his fist in anger, but settled down. "I'm sorry for venting at you, but from the looks of it you're new, so I can actually talk about this." Judai pursed his lips.

"Why can't they get along? Dueling is supposed to be fun, heart pounding, an epic struggle!" To emphasize his point, he made a few dramatic poses. Misawa looked amused.

"I really hope you get in. We need that attitude desperately, if we want the Academia to a great school. You act very red; that's fortunate. The Red Dorm is probably the least involved of the five in the fighting."

"Well, if fixing the Academia is the first step in my journey of exceeding Yugi, then I'll take it on!" Misawa crossed his arms.

"While I think you're capable, no one, _no one_, could best Yugi Mutou. He's a planeswalker, the single most powerful kind of being in the Multiverse, so rare only two have every been seen on Earth, three thousand years apart."

"Wow… you know your stuff!" Judai said happily to a vaguely annoyed Misawa. "No matter, I can do it!"

"You're definitely a Red."

"Don't count me out." Judai pouted.

"Speaking of which, have you taken the exam yet?" Misawa asked.

"Nope."

"What's your number?"

"Uhh…" Judai dug in his pocket. "Hundred three." Misawa uncrossed his arms.

"They called that during your Wingman's last attack, you better get going!" He threw his arms in the direction of the receptionist's desk. Judai stumbled over as fast as he could.

"HEY!" Judai shouted in the receptionist's face. "I'm 103, I need a duel now!" She looked bored.

"Okay…" she looked him up. "Name?"

"103! 103!"

"_Name?_"

"Judai Yuthree!"

"You're late."

"Make an exception!" He begged. "Call someone!" The lady lazily picked up the phone.

In the main arena, numerous duels were being conducted. Most of the examinees had already found a seat in there, while on the right end of the arena there were rows of seats just for the teachers and proctors. Only one wasn't occupied; he had blonde hair, purple lipstick, and a blue jacket with long coattails. He was tall, thin, and smug, watching with great pride only the good examinees.

"Ahhhh… what a stupendous year indeed! Only two drop outs so far! I didn't even have to duel them!" His chortling was interrupted with the ringing of a cell phone, which he swiped from his lap and flipped open gracefully. "Pronto?"

"We have a late one, 103, Chronos sir."

"Reject him." Chronos hung up.

"He says no." she said to Judai on the other end.

"Call someone else!" Judai hit random buttons frantically on the receiver, accidentally dialing something. The receptionist listened.

"Hello?" A deep, friendly voice answered.

"Principal, we have a late entrant. 103, Judai Yuki."

"Hmm? Judai… Yuki… let him through."

"Very well." She looked at Judai. "You're lucky the Principal is so nice." Hopping for joy, Judai thanked her, then bolted off along with Misawa.

Chronos was still smug, having rejected another loser, but once again the phone rang, and once again it was answered with pizzazz.

"Yesss?" He hissed. Then, he turned red. "You're daft, Sameshima! You never let anyone late through. Ye-Yes, I know it's a contest of skill, not punctuality… Fine!" Perturbed, Chronos slipped the phone in his pocket. "What an old fool! No matter…" Chronos snatched a deck from his coat pocket, and slipped by a rack of proctor decks on his way to the Teleport Ring.

Misawa and Judai carefully made their way down the steps of the stadium, to the front row next to an empty ring. Judai looked around for some sort of staircase, then looked at Misawa bemusedly for an answer.

"Look, Judai." He pointed at the floor, where a blue ring suddenly lit up. "It's an enchantment, Teleport Ring. The Academia uses this a lot, so get used to looking for them." For a moment, Judai stared at him.

"So you really are confident in me!" He cried, then stepped into it. Misawa waved, as Judai's vision became light blue, then dark, black, dark, light, while his heart raced in the sensation of weightlessness. He flailed, trying find ground, then appeared, feet off the floor, in the ring. He fell back on his head, grunting from the pain.

"Geez! This place is something, have thrill rides to their bathrooms, probably. I hope…" he sat up, then turned around while rubbing his back, and noticing the proctor looking at him like he was a bug in his soup. "Uhh… Hi! I'm Judai Yuki!" He jumped up, and stood in an uptight posture. The teacher didn't look impressed in the least.

"I probably won't get the chance to say this to _you_ ever again: I am Professor Chronos de Medici, headmaster of the Learned Society of Blue Mages, the most elite center for magical study in the world, and you are a drop-out boy, a good for nothing who cares so little he _is late_! Surely you must see you don't belong in my school! No, you aren't bright enough; I will show you through this defeat!" Chronos declared; most of the words weren't processed by Judai.

"Nice to meet you too!" He chimed, holding up his Duel Disk. "Now I get to see how tough the Academia will be!"

"Quite…" Chronos mumbled, sniffing disdainfully. "I shall make the first move!" Both duelists drew their cards.

"Duel!"

"I begin with four Islands!" Chronos said, laying the cards down. "Now, I tap three of them to summon Serendib Efreet (2U)!" A storm cloud formed, and in it a blue, muscular figure burst forth out of it, half of its body still fused to the cloud, small bits of lightning erratically striking around the creature. "This card may seem alien to a drop-out boy, but many years ago this card was the most powerful creature one could possess, and he still has his thunder!" Chronos gloated.

"Heh, thunder… Judai murmured with a goofy grin. Chronos grumbled to himself.

"Joking during a duel? I believe this will be rather simple… I end my turn." Judai drew a card.

"Alright! I have three Mountains and two Forests. Now I'll use a couple of them and a Forest to summon Incandescent Soul stoke (2R)!" A bright Elemental, wearing gold armor with white robes flowing off them, and wielding a charred wooden staff rose from the flames burning before Judai. "This guy can use his powers to summon another Elemental from my hand, but it's sacrificed at the end of the turn. Now I use the rest of my lands to act-"

"I cast Artificial Evolution (U)!" The shaman fell to the ground in pain, its flames going out. Hair similar to Judai's sprouted from its head, and its armor morphed into familiar clothes. Everyone burst into laughter as the creature became another Judai. "Wahaha! I turned your creature's type into Drop-Out Boy!" Judai gasped at the horrific transformation.

"Hey, what was that for! You could have made it something else!"

"I would have made it obscure anyways. Because of Artificial Evolution, its ability only works on Drop-Out Boys. Do you happen to have any in that deck of yours?" Judai went limp, his head down in disappointment. In the stands, Misawa grew worried.

"I don't recall those cards being in a proctor deck…"

"Why don't you end your turn; you're tapped out, you know." Chronos snickered.

"Fine." Judai groaned. Chronos drew his next card. The efreet's thunder struck Chronos, who was unmoving (Life: 14). "Huh?" Judai gaped, surprised.

"The efreet damages me for one point every upkeep step. Moving on, I play an Island, then cast the artifact Temple Bell!" A wooden frame sprouted from the ground, along with a large, brass bell. "I can tap this bell to have all players draw a card." The efreet floated over to it, and hammered the bell with its fist. "And I drew… Twisted Image, which I cast (U); it swaps a creature's power and toughness, then I draw a card; I choose my Efreet, of course (3-4/4-3). Now attack!" The efreet pounded its fists together, creating a thunderous sound and enveloping its hands in light; then, it threw its arms out, casting lightning on Judai.

"Hrnnng…ah!" He groaned, tensing up (Life: 11).

"I end my turn." stated Chronos. Judai drew, then paused for a moment.

"I tap a Forest and Mountain to cast Explore (1G). I can play another land this turn, then I draw a card. Now, I play a Mountain and Forest, then use the rest of my lands to summon Flamekin Wingman (2RR)!" Before Wingman could fully emerge, Chronos intervened.

"I cast Uncommon (U)! It returns your creature to your hand." The mana next to Judai dissolved, as he reluctantly took back the card. "I wager this is no fun anymore? Seeing how out of your league you are, how nothing works out for you… all because you aren't worthy for this Academia!" Chronos taunted. Judai, head down, was silent. "Ah?"

Suddenly, Judai looked up, grinning. "Are you crazy? This is the most intense duel I've been in! Battling for my future, against an opponent like you, who never lets up, it's exactly what I expected!" Judai pointed at Chronos. "Now attack, Judai number two!" The drop-out boy sprinted at Chronos, leaping in the air, then threw a punch into Chronos' stomach, causing him to kneel over (Life: 12). "My turn's over!" Judai said triumphantly. Chronos coughed, but stood straight up again.

"My turn! I draw!" he bellowed, absorbing the efreet's lightning with his intensity (Life: 11). "I use the bell once again, then play an Island. I tap all my lands to cast Reach Through Mists (U), which lets me draw a card." A cloud of mist started forming in the ring. "Then, I cast Peer Through Depths (1U), which lets me look at the top five cards of my deck, choose an instant or sorcery card, then add it to my hand, and I choose Sift Through Sands!" Behind Chronos, a shining slit appeared. "Finally, I cast Sift Through Sands (1UU)! I can draw two cards, then, discard one." Misawa almost got out of his seat.

"Oh no! It's just as I feared, it's his real deck! And he pulled off his main combo!" At the top of the bleachers opposite to Misawa, a blonde-headed girl and a tall, blue-headed boy were also watching the match.

"Do you see this, Ryo? How underhanded." The girl huffed.

"This kid's getting to Professor Chronos, Asuka. I'm uncertain where this will go." Ryo calmly replied.

"You think so? You think Chronos would falter like that?" she asked. He remained silent as she gazed at him, in deep thought. Chronos let out a thrilled laugh.

"It's been a while since I summoned my ace so easily!"

"Ace? Alright, show him!" Judai impatiently demanded.

"Prepare yourself! When Reach Through Mists, Peer Through Depths, and Sift Through Sands are cast on the same turn, I can summon The Unspeakable from my deck!" Chronos held the card up, causing the slit to erupt with light. A spined tail whipped out, slashing the very space around the opening, then a wing forced itself through, then another until the main body emerged; there were four finger-like appendages around its stomach, in which a dark hole was the center; its grotesque, solemn face made a bizarre screech, and it flapped its wings, blowing the mist away. "Isn't he stunning? Only a mage of my caliber could have summoned him in this manner! It's a shame he can't attack right now, but my Efreet can!" The efreet once again threw lightning upon Judai, stunning him (Life: 8). "I end my turn."

"You're amazing, Chronos!" Judai complimented, drawing a card. "Lemme show you what I can do now! I play a Mountain, then cast Fires of Yavimaya (1RG); it's an enchantment that give all my creatures haste." Two leafless trees sprouted at either side of the ring, fiercely blazing. "Now I summon Rumbling Slum (1RGG)!" The mana melted to the ground, causing what looked like the rubble of a building to protrude from the ground. The rocks assembled into a golem, hunched over, leaning on its massive arms to make up for its lack of legs. "Attack Chronos!" Chronos appeared to think for a moment.

"_If I block with Unspeakable, he can sacrifice his Fires to strengthen his Slum by two, matching Unspeakable's seven toughness, whilst his six power won't defeat Slum's seven toughness."_ He let the Slum through, which stamped over with its arms, then swiped stones at Chronos that exploded around him (Life: 6).

"I end my turn!" Judai exclaimed.

"Draw!" Efreet's lightning hit Chronos once more. "I play and Island, use my Bell, then attack with Efreet and the Unspeakable! None of your creatures have flying, so you're defenseless!" The two began to approach Judai.

"Hold on! I use a Forest to cast Fog (G)!" A dense fog consumed the ring, blinding everything within it. "I can't take combat damage this turn." Chronos grit his teeth.

"You're lucky a blue mage like myself didn't have a counter spell! You've got luck on your side, like every drop-out, but it only goes so far!" He smirked. "I know Rumbling Slum damages every player on your turn, so I think I'll take it, with Control Magic (2UU)!" The golem's green eyes suddenly turned blue, then it felt its way to Chronos's side. "It's so easy to change loyalties with blue magic. I end my turn."

"That was definitely close…" Judai sighed, drawing a card. "Let's see… First I use Harmonize (2GG), which lets me draw three cards. Great!" he exclaimed. "This card is all about luck: Lash Out (1R)! Before it goes off, we clash, which means we show the top card of our deck, and the one with the higher mana cost wins!" Chronos showed his card.

"Divination, three." Then Judai looked rather slowly, for the drama.

"Hrm… Nova Chaser! Four! Now, Lash Out his Rumbling Slum for three, and because I won, it hits you for three!" A fire ball impaled the slum, crumbling half its body, then exploded on Chronos (Life: 2). "Now go, Judai the Second!"

"Block him, Rumbling Slum!" The Elemental dashed at Chronos, then Rumbling Slum intercepted by flinging a boulder; Judai's creature shoulder-tackles the slum, collapsing it, while the rock flattens the Elemental. "It worked! Now he's no longer yours!" Chronos grimaced.

"My turn!"

"Hold it! I might have a card that could potentially damage you…" Judai said slyly, tapping his chin with a card. "You've thrown a spell or two around on my turn plenty of times, you know…" Chronos turned red with anger.

"Like I'll fall for it!" He hissed, as the efreet's lightning struck right next to him. "Er… I play Polymorph (3U)! It destroys my Efreet, but then reveals cards from my deck until I get a creature, then I summon it!" The efreet melted down into blue mass, wavering on its surface. "Now… Island, Island, Counterspell, Mindstone, Mahamoti Djinn!" A red, lava-like substance broke the ground, and snaked into the air, shaping into a hulking orange spirit, with massive muscles, red eyes, and a face obscured by its hair and shadows. "He's much stronger than the Efreet, you drop-out boy! My victory is still decided! Attack, Unspeakable!" The fingers on its body pointed to its center, forming a ball of darkness, then erupting, raining darkness on Judai (Life: 1) "Now I can get an Arcane spell from my graveyard, and I choose and cast Peer Through Depths! And I choose Time Warp, which gives me an extra turn if you somehow survive my next assault. You can't pass Mahamoti Djinn, and I can deduce you were lying about that damage spell, so it's hopeless!" Judai brushed off his jacket, which had accumulated quite a bit of dust.

"I love it when it's so close like this! I feel bad about lying, though. But then again, like a blue mage would say, it's a battle of wits, which happens to be a card, by the way." Chronos scowled. "See? I know my stuff! Draw!" Judai scanned his hand. "Alright! I tap two Mountains and two Forests to summon Flamekin Wingman!" His loyal creature quickly took shape from the fiery mana. "Now I sacrifice my Fires to give him plus two-plus two!" Wingman puffed out his chest, and took in the fire from the trees, till they were no longer burning. "Now I tap a Mountain to give Wingman flying!" Out of his back, the fire in his body erupted into the shape of dragon wings, blurring the air around him. "Finally, my favorite combo: Fatal Frenzy (2R)!" Sho, who'd been straining to appear calm during the match, yelped out, startling his knights.

"He almost beat me with that! That turkey!" The knights restrained Sho's vicious fury, as he shook a fist at Judai.

"Now Wingman's power is twelve! And his ability is that whenever he destroys a blocking creature in combat, its controller receives damage equal to its power!" Judai announced.

"WHAT?" Chronos screamed with fright. He gritted his teeth in a sweat, turning back and forth in a panic.

"Attack, Flamekin Wingman!" Power erupted from Wingman, levitating him into the air, shimmering with intense heat that enveloped the ring. He slowly raised an arm into the air, glowing red hot, approaching eruption in an instant, then, exploding forth from his hand, lava punctured through Mahamoti Djinn, vaporizing him in the blast and obscuring Chronos in the ashes (Life: 0).

"But, but why! WHY? Oh, my coat, it's all, and, and, YOU! You drop out boy! It was all luck! LUCK!" Chronos roared frantically.

"It may have been luck, but it takes a good duelist to use it well! Here's my tip to you: luck is your friend! All you have to do is trust your deck!" Judai said, somewhat pompously. "I can't wait for this Academia! Keeping track of all those moving parts, I need to learn that too! I can't wait to see you there." Chronos stared, emotionless, but then burst into a fury.

"YOU! LECTURING ME!" Before he could come at Judai, two teachers teleported down there, restraining him. "YOU"LL PAY FOR THIS! YOU'LL BE EXPELLED!" he screeched as he disappeared with the other teachers.

"But, I… was just trying to help…" Judai mumbled, scratching his cheek sheepishly. He tiptoed over to the Teleport Ring, reemerging next to Misawa. "He seemed upset… do I have bad sportsmanship?" He said, feeling his body over for some flaw.

"Well, Chronos isn't exactly humble, but I agree with what you said, myself. That down-to-earth attitude of yours won you the duel, and now you can give it back to the Academia! Congratulations!" Misawa said jovially, shaking hands with Judai. "I checked on my P.D.A, and you're in! You'll make an excellent rival!"

"I hope you do too!" He said just as jovially, but Misawa sighed at the comment.

"You just need to work on the communication and observation thing; you've made three enemies already!"

"I did?" Misawa stared, dumbfounded. The pair started for the staircase to the roof, on the opposite side of the teacher's seating area. At the last turn there, the two heard metallic footsteps.

"You!" Sho's voice rang out as he and his knights slowed to a halt. Judai turned around, waving.

"Hi, Sho. Wasn't that duel incredible? Chronos is really something."

"Don't pretend to respect him! You were about as humble as a grizzly bear is to a small animal!" Sho accused.

"But-"

"Back off, pipsqeak." Manjoume coolly ordered. He and his gang approached on the other side of Judai. "You too Misawa." Misawa scowled at him, and moved back somewhat. Manjoume stepped forward. "You know what? I'm torn. That was a sham; Chronos played horribly, and most of your moves were lucky. However, I like your tactics, pushing other's buttons almost as good as I do." Judai looked to Misawa, confused at the statement. "I'll test you myself soon. Let's move, boys." Manjoume turned, his coattails fluttering behind him. His gang followed, pounding their fists into their hands menacingly at everyone behind Judai.

"Let's leave too, knights." Sho motioned forward, and his troupe carried on as well. "I'll catch you in the act, turkey!" He yelled behind him. The arena was mostly empty now, echoing their voices.

"What did I do? I'm so confused! Hold me!" Judai whined. They heard more footsteps, this time with a distinctive new sound, like they were heeled. Misawa looked over Judai's shoulder and saw Asuka approaching.

"Wha! As-Asuka?" He jabbered nervously. She waved at them.

"Whaddya want now? Was my posture abominable, or do my clothes make me look like a thug?" Judai complained lightheartedly.

"No, no, I'm alone, like Misawa. It must be stressful, dealing with those two at once." She said empathetically.

"Sho's alright, but Manjoume seems sneaky. And his cologne gives me a headache…" Judai snorted. Asuka chuckled.

"He's always been that way. He's a capable mage, but he lost it a while back. Now he's like a crime lord, always presumptuous and looking for cronies. Just avoid him." she said, embarrassed. Misawa was still silent, red in the cheeks. "I respect you, though. While that duel was iffy, I can tell you're the real deal. Well, we better get going." She started for the door, throwing a smile behind her. Judai looked at Misawa and wrinkled his nose, feigning disgust.

"Hey!" He said, snapping his fingers in Misawa's face.

"Oh! We better move." The two jogged up the stairs after Asuka, onto the roof, where a multi-level helicopter sat motionless. The last of the students hustled on, carrying large amounts of baggage. "That reminds me, is your luggage already here?" Misawa asked. "I dropped mine off earlier."

"Luggage?"

Misawa blinked. "You… don't have any, do you." Judai span around in a panic.

"Guess not!" He noticed a sentinel, standing near the building down below, waving its large, metal arm at him. "Oh… Hey!" He returned the wave. Misawa looked confused. "He gave me these donuts!" Judai exclaimed, pulling them from his jacket. "At least I won't go hungry!" He laughed, filing along with Misawa onto the chopper, destined for Duel Academia.


End file.
